Feeding the Crisis
CALIFORNIA STUDIES IN FOOD AND CULTURE
Darra Goldstein, Editor
Feeding the Crisis
Care and Abandonment in America’s Food Safety Net
Maggie Dickinson
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2020 by Maggie Dickinson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dickinson, Maggie, author.
Title: Feeding the crisis : care and abandonment in America’s food safety net / Maggie Dickinson.
Other titles: California studies in food and culture; 71.
Description: Oakland, California : The University of California Press, [2020] | Series: California studies in food and culture; 71 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019023235 (print) | LCCN 2019023236 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520307667 (cloth) | ISBN 9780520307674 (paperback) | ISBN 9780520973770 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Food relief—New York (State)—New York. | Food relief —Case studies—21st century. | Food relief—Government policy—United States. | Food security—New York (State)—New York.
Classification: LCC HV696.F6 D488 2020 (print) | LCC HV696.F6 (ebook) | DDC 363.809747/1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019023235
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019023236
Manufactured in the United States of America
29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
2. Care and Abandonment in the Food Safety Net
The Carrot: Subsidizing Working Mothers
The Stick: Punishing “Non-Working” Mothers
Walking Away from Welfare
The Changing Face of Work and Family
4. Men, Food Assistance, and Caring Labor
Fathering through Food Assistance
Networks of Dependency
5. Free to Serve? Emergency Food and Volunteer Labor
The Growth of EFP’s
Labor or Love?
Volunteer Labor and Work-First Welfare
Volunteer Labor and Social Inequality
6. No Free Lunch: The Limits of Food Assistance as a Public Health Intervention
At the Whim of the Grocery Store
Work-First Welfare and Food Insecurity
Health Impact of Work-First Welfare
Healthy Eating and Emergency Food
Bodies as Commodities
7. Ending Hunger, Addressing the Crisis
Reimagining a Right to Food
Demanding a Right to Work
Addressing the Crisis of Care
Postscript: The Right to Food in the Trump Era
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
This research would not have been possible without the many North Brooklyn residents who shared their time, ideas, and experiences with me. Most important were my friends at the North Brooklyn Pantry, who welcomed me with open arms, especially Katrina, Ada, Lucy, Helena, Sunshine, Christine, Jen, and Ann. Though they are rarely recognized for the work they do, these women are the backbone of their communities. The world would be worse off without them and the many people like them who do the daily labor of making sure people are cared for. They are humble heroes.
I am grateful for the community of scholars who have supported this research over many years. This book is far better thanks to the steadfast support of Leith Mullings, whose wisdom and commitment to social justice are a constant source of inspiration. Jeff Maskovsky, Frances Fox Piven, and Julie Guthman offered invaluable insights on early iterations of this work. Jan Poppendieck’s research has been foundational to my own. She has become a mentor, collaborator, and friend in the years since she graciously agreed to read my first research proposal. Special thanks go to Karen Williams, who has probably read every word I’ve ever written at least twice and whose friendship has made academia a much better place to be. Thanks to the many people who have read versions of this work at various stages and offered their insights on the project including Andrea Morrell, Javiela Evangelista, Sophie Bjork James, Risa Cromer, Daisy Deomampo, Ujju Agarwal, Victoria Lawson, Sarah Elwood, Anahi Viladrich, Harmony Goldberg, Preeti Sampat, Nazia Kazi, David Boarder Giles, Teresa Mares, Kara Dean Assael, Abby Dickinson, Pem Buck, Sherry Deckman, Tashana Samuels, Angelina Tallaj, Kandice Chuh, Mary Taylor, Francesca Manning, Christopher